Philip Pullman (fantasy) Pullman is my very favorite author! My reading experience started with the His Dark Materials trilogy. The Golden Compass/Northern Lights ended on such a cliffhanger that I have never wanted to read a sequel more. Pullman writes in such a way as though he were taking my dreams and putting them on …
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans This might be pedestrian, but there is just something about rhyming that gets me every time. This classic children’s story is set in Paris, and the illustrations of France’s most iconic landmarks are top notch. Madeline is the bravest girl of them all when she falls ill. I always have to …
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo “Sometimes the things we see do not make sense until many years have gone by. Sometimes it takes generations.” When I asked for short book recommendations, my underground book club suggested The Empress of Salt and Fortune. This book didn’t disappoint! I had no idea that this author …
The Other Me by Sarah Zachrich Jeng The Other Me is a book about two paths diverging. One day, Kelly is eking out a living in Chicago, living her dream of being an artist. Upon her birthday, Kelly feels a bit sick and walks into the bathroom only to come out of the bathroom into …
The Turnout by Megan Abbott Dara and Marie are running their mother’s dance studio along with Charlie, Dara’s husband and former dance student. The three of them grew up together and have an incredible bond. But then Derek arrives, a contractor, working on the ballet studio. Will he upset the delicate balance of this family? …
The Chosen and The Beautiful by Nghi Vo The Chosen and The Beautiful is a retelling of The Great Gatsby told from the perspective of Jordan Baker. Jordan provides some important insights into the early years of Daisy Buchanan (formerly Fay) and Jay Gatsby. Full disclosure: I am a HUGE The Great Gatsby fan. Every …
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrick Backman Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. And he has done the nearly impossible. Most authors are pigeonholed into one genre of books forever. If you are a mystery writer, your publisher doesn’t want you to write romance or children’s literature. However, Backman has somehow managed …
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark Unpopular Opinion Alert Someone from my underground book club suggested The Haunting of Tram Car 015 when I requested short book recommendations (I’m still trying to get through Game of Thrones). My underground book club has never steered me wrong, so I picked this up …
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Have you ever wanted to read Memoirs of a Geisha but felt too intimated? Do you ever worry that you might have missed out on something important while reading a classic? Do you burst to share your thoughts on an old classic? Are you trying to work your …
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse Elin Warner, a police detective on leave, is traveling to a new hotel to celebrate the engagement of her brother. However, things don’t go quite as planned, and Elin finds herself investigating a crime. What is going on at this hotel? Can Elin get answers to what happened to her …
